【Blender】顔モデリング講座　～平面から始めるキャラクターモデリング～

Blender Character-Face Workflow

The video teaches a Blender workflow for creating a character face, starting with a flat plane and continuing through modeling, UV mapping, texture painting, and shape keys for blinking. The instructor works without a rough sketch, using references and checking the model from multiple viewpoints.

1. Modeling the Face from a Plane

• Set up a symmetrical mesh. Delete the default objects, add a plane, rotate it upright, remove one half, and add a Mirror modifier. If the mirror behaves incorrectly, check the object’s origin; the instructor demonstrates moving it back to the geometry.
• Build the face’s basic shape. Use loop cuts to add geometry, then extrude and move vertices to form the jaw, chin, nose, forehead, eye openings, and mouth. Loop cuts work on quad faces, not triangles.
• Use proportional editing for broad adjustments. Adjust the jaw and profile while viewing the model from the side, and check the influence range as you work.
• Add detail where form or movement requires it. The mouth needs enough vertices to support movement and shaping. The instructor also creates the whites of the eyes and the inside of the mouth, then builds the back of the head and neck.
• Use modifiers and cleanup tools. A Subdivision Surface modifier smooths the mesh. Smooth shading, merging duplicate vertices, and correcting face orientation help prevent display problems. Consistent face orientation also matters for textures.
• Create additional facial parts. Eyelashes are modeled with subdivision and crease values to preserve sharper edges. Eyebrows are shaped from duplicated faces, ears are extruded and refined, and eyes are built as separate objects and mirrored.

2. Refining the Face

• Inspect the model from many angles, not just the front and side. A shape that looks acceptable in one view may appear wrong from an oblique, high, or low angle.
• Pay particular attention to the oblique view, especially:
  • Cheekbones, which help define the face.
  • Facial fullness, particularly the soft volume of the cheeks, which contributes to a gentle or cute appearance.
• A focal length around 80–100 can make facial proportions easier to judge. Checking again around 50 helps reveal differences at a more typical perspective.
• Work progressively: rough modeling first, careful refinement later. Trying to perfect one area too early can stall the project.
• Use references such as 3D models, illustrations, and photographs. Stepping away and returning to the model can also help reveal awkward shapes.

3. UV Mapping

UV mapping unfolds a 3D surface into a 2D layout so a texture can be painted onto it. The separated regions are called islands, and the cuts in the mesh are called seams.

Basic Process

1. Open Blender’s UV Editing workspace.
2. Select the edges where the mesh should be cut and mark them as seams.
3. Select the mesh, choose Unwrap, and inspect the resulting islands.
4. Adjust the seams and unwrap again if the layout is distorted.

Seam-Placement Guidelines

• Put seams in less visible areas.
• Use strongly curved or bent areas where possible.
• Place seams where a form can naturally be split into front and back, similar to clothing seams.
• For the face, the instructor uses areas such as the sides of the face and around the ears, eyes, and mouth. The ear may need seams running to its outer ends to unfold well.

Before painting, the instructor applies the Mirror and Subdivision modifiers. Eyelashes, eyebrows, and eyes are also mapped, with their islands arranged inside the UV square. Give more UV space to frequently seen areas, such as the front of the face, and less to areas that are usually hidden. Avoid overlapping islands unless the shared texture is intentional.

4. Texture Painting

The instructor emphasizes finishing the modeling and UV mapping before detailed painting. Adding or removing vertices later can distort the paint and require the UVs and texture work to be redone.

Preparation and Painting Workflow

• Enter Texture Paint mode and create both a texture image and a material. The demonstration uses a 2048 × 2048 image.
• Set up the display so the texture color can be evaluated clearly. The instructor changes the color-management view from Filmic to Standard and adjusts the material setup for direct color viewing.
• Use the mirror option for symmetrical painting in the 3D view. Adjust the brush size with F.
• Paint facial shadows, including areas under the hair, chin, and around the neck. Then add lips, the mouth line, cheek color, eye colors and highlights, the whites of the eyes, the inside of the mouth, eyelashes, and eyebrows.
• Use Soften and Smear to blend edges and create gradients. The instructor also demonstrates a line stroke for drawing the mouth and suggests using color gradients on eyelashes.
• Texture Paint has no dedicated eraser in this workflow. Instead, sample the background color with S and paint over mistakes.
• Save the image texture separately. Saving the Blender project alone does not save the texture image. Use Save All Images and save frequently.

5. Shape Keys for Blinking

A shape key stores a mesh variation relative to a base mesh and can be used for facial expressions or other deformations.

Blink Workflow

1. Create a shape key in the object’s Shape Keys panel.
2. Name it and edit the mesh in that shape key.
3. Hide the eyelashes temporarily if needed, then move the eyelid vertices to close the eye.
4. Adjust the lower eyelid and restore the eyelashes, checking that they fit the closed eye.
5. Change the shape-key value to blend between the base shape and the blink.

The instructor also demonstrates making a wink by duplicating the blink shape and blending the base shape on only one side.

Important limitation: Shape keys depend on the base mesh’s vertices and their positions. Changing the base after creating shape keys can disrupt them, so create shape keys after finishing the mesh. The instructor mentions using Blender’s shape-key blending tools if a correction becomes necessary.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: Natsumori Katsu, the instructor and narrator.
• Reference sources: 3D model materials, illustrations, and photographs used as modeling references.
• Software: Blender and its modeling, UV mapping, texture painting, modifier, and shape-key tools.
• No other speaking voices are identified in the subtitles.